Pea-shooter



Patented Sept. 6, 1887.

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J. L. VALLIER.

' PEA SHOOTER. N 369.485.

uv PETERS. Pmlomhmphnr. wmn mn c UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN L. VALLIER, OF SKOW'HEGAN, MAINE.

PEA-=SHOOT'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,485, dated September 6, 1887.

Application filed May 18, 1887. Serial No. 288,602.

To all 1071,0122, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOHN L. VALLIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Skowhegun, in the county of Somerset and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pea-Shooters; and I do hereby declare thei'ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to toy guns or peashooters; and the object of my invention is to construct a wooden peashooter which shall be breech-loading, and which shall hold the pen. or article to be fired in place in the breech, so that the gun can be pointed up or down or in any direction without having its charge roll out.

My invention consists of a w ooden gun having a horizontal slit extending from the breech toward the muzzle, dividing the barrel into an upper and a lower portion, the bore at the breechbeing somewhat smaller than the pea, so that when the latter is introduced the spring of the upper part of the barrel holds it in place, an elastic cord secured to each side of the barrel, and a catch operated by a trigger for releasing the cord. The difficulty with toy guns of this description has hitherto been that after the pea was introduced there was nothing to prevent its rolling freely in the barrel, so that if the muzzle of the gun was de' pressed the pea would roll out.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top or plan view. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation. Fig.3isacentrallongitudinal section. Fig. l is a section through the line X X of Fig. 3.

A is the body of the gun, which is made of wood, and is constructed in imitation of a real gun. The bore a" extends straight through the barrel, its rear end being contractedsomewhat, and opening out from a square breech above the steel; of the gun. The upper portion, A, of the rear end of the barrel is separated from the lower by a horizontal slit, a,

which extends from the breech toward the muzzle. This slit extends sufiiciently far, so

(No model.)

that the rear end is easily raised and lowered, the connecting portion of the wood forming a spring to force it downward. The split portion A of the barrel has on its under side agroove, which is a continuation of the bore, and the rear end of this groove is formed with a flare, which allows the pea to be readily introduced. The lower part of the barrel has a corresponding groove, and the space between the rear end of the portion A and the main partof the barrel is such that when the pea is introduced the spring of the wood will hold it firmly in place.

The ends of an elastic cord, B,are secured to the sides of the gun, and the loop of the cord is passed through the slit (0*. A pin, 1, having on its lower end a head, i, is inserted in a vertical hole just in rear of the breech, its smaller end, when in position, projecting far enough up to receive and hold theloop of the cord B, the hcadi preventing it from rising higher. A notch, i, is provided near the upper end of the pin, which notch receives the end of the spring E, which is secured to the stock by the screw e.

The trigger D has connected with it an arm, (2', which rests on the ledge formed by the head 2'.

The operation of my device is evident from its construction. The cord Bis stretched back and its loop placed over the end of the pin 1. The pea is now inserted in the breech, the spring of the wood holding it firmly in place. The trigger is now pulled, and the elastic cord forces the pea. out of the gun.

It will be observed that the back end of the slit a or that nearest the breech, is narrower than the remaining part, so that as soon as the pea passes out of this portion of the here it is unconfined, and consequently its speed is accelerated.

Various forms of catch can be used with a gun of the same general construction as mine, and hence I do not wish to be confined to the form here shown. The barrel and stock of the gun are constructed of one piece.

I claini A breech-loading pea-shooter consisting of a wooden body in one piece in the form of a gun, having a central hole or bore extending trigger mechanism for retaining and releasing clear through the barrel, a horizontalslot eX- said cord, substantially as described. 10

tending from the breech forward, whereby the In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein upper portion of said breech is detached from presence of two Witnesses. Y

' 5 the lower portion and the spring of the Wood JOHN L. VALLIER.

utilized to hold the pen. in position in said XVitnesses: breech, an elastic cord attached at each side of 7M. FoLsoM, the gun and passing through said slot, and :1 CHARLES VALLIER. 

